If you read and committed to memory Chapters 8 and 9 of my book Prove It Before You Promote It* (respectively, “Help Stop Research Abuse” and “How to Predict a Marketing Success”), you know that much of what passes for market research is bogus. This is not to say that all marketing research is inept or worthless, only that much of it is, and that it behooves the savvy marketer to learn how to tell the difference.

One form of so-called research that is growing in popularity is the online poll. In his podcast last week, neurologist Steven Novella does a great job of exposing the folly that many mistake for research. No need for me to summarize; just click below and enjoy the nine-minute excerpt for yourself.